


Uncle Rhodey

by doctornineandthreequarters



Series: Iron Man Bingo [5]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Drabble, Fluff, Friendship, Iron Man Bingo 2019, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark at MIT, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-07-07 22:34:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19859101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctornineandthreequarters/pseuds/doctornineandthreequarters
Summary: “I’ve watched out for your skinny butt for years. We’re family now. Someday, your kids are going to call me Uncle Rhodey.”-----Iron Man Bingo #5- Uncle Rhodey





	Uncle Rhodey

**Author's Note:**

> Iron Man Bingo fill number 5! This one, as you probably guess from the title, was Uncle Rhodey.

Tony knew that the moment he met James Rhodes, that they were going to be friends. He was used to two types of attention up until attending MIT. There was how his father treated him, which was to ignore him or yell at him. And then there were people who wanted to yes him to death and kiss his ass. So either he was being ignore or essentially given everything. There was no in between.  
  
But then he walked into his dorm room as a fifteen year old “wunderkind”, to find half of the space had already been claimed.   
  
“I got here first,” Rhodey had said, lounging on his bed, a confident smirk on his fac. “I got first dibs, so I guess you’ll have to deal. I’m James, by the way.”   
  
For some reason that was enough for Tony to want this guy to be his best friend. Rhodey was there for him whenever he needed him to be. Whether it was sitting next to him while he vomited from a bender or helping him break into the science building so he could keep working on a project. By the time they were sophomores, Tony considered Rhodey his best friend. But he didn’t say anything, because Rhodey played things cool. And he was trying very hard to not just be the genius kid at MIT. But he assumed that Rhodey considered him his best friend as well. I mean, why else would he hop a fence with him to check out a museum after hours.  
  
It wasn’t until graduation that Rhodey referred to him as his brother.   
  
“I’ve watched out for your skinny butt for years,” Rhodey said, knocking Tony’s cap off his head. “We’re family now. Someday, your kids are going to call me Uncle Rhodey.”  
  
As sweet as the sentiment was, Tony never really knew if he wanted kids. His own upbringing had been hardly anything to write home about. On a good day, his father ignored him and he certainly hated remembering the bad days. His mother was sweet, but at the end of the day, she never acknowledged how awful his father was to him. So between a hard-ass for a father and a sweet but silent force as a mother, Tony was pretty sure he didn’t want kids.  
  
And that idea held true for a long time. Until two smart kids changed his mind.  
  
Harley Keener was a good kid. Smart, curious, and not afraid to speak his mind. It wasn’t like Tony planned to get attached to him. His whole ending up in Tennessee was a mistake. But clearly, when he met Harley, it had been meant to be. He grew to appreciate Harley’s blunt attitude. And maybe part of him wanted to help the kid because he knew what it was like to have a crappy dad. And Harley had helped him out. Building the kid a high-tech lab was the least he could do. And checking on him every now and then.   
  
“It’s a good look on you,” Rhodey had said after Tony talked about a call he had had with Rhodey. “Just remember, he’s gotta call me Uncle Rhodey.” Tony had ignored the teasing comment from his best friend, mostly because the chance of Rhodey ever meeting Harley was minimal.  
  
And then Peter Parker happened.  
  
Peter was different than Harley. He was just as smart, if not smarter. But he didn’t have that blunt-to-almost-abrasive mannerism that Harley had. Peter had a good heart and wanted to protect people. It took that first conversation for Tony to realize he wanted to help the kid out. It wasn’t until after Germany that Tony felt like he also needed to protect the kid, who seemed to lack self-preservation techniques in favor of being a hero.   
  
It was admirable, if not a little stressful for Tony to witness.   
  
Tony tried to keep Peter at arm’s length; putting Happy in charge of fielding his calls, sending a suit instead of going in person. But eventually, he realized that taking the kid under his wing and helping him out wasn’t the end of the world. It was actually strangely nice to mentor the teenager. He didn’t realize the implications of keeping an eye on Peter or giving him an internship or just being concerned about his general well-being.  
  
Until Rhodey pointed it out to him.   
  
“Oh hi Colonel Rhodes, Mr. War Machine, sir,” Peter said, upon officially meeting Rhodey for the first time.   
  
“Rhodey, Peter Parker,” Tony had said, introducing them. “Get home safe kid. Subway, no swinging.”  
  
“Sure thing Mister Stark,” Peter had said, a bright smile on his face. Once he was gone, Rhodey had worn the most shit-eating grin that Tony had ever seen.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Just remember that he should call me Uncle Rhodey.”  
  
As much as Tony liked having Peter around, he didn’t want to consider the kid a part his family. Peter was great, but the kid had been through so much and Tony didn’t know if he could be helpful to Peter outside of the superhero world. As much as Rhodey jokes about being an uncle, Tony wasn’t a father.   
  
Both Harley and Peter taught Tony a lot about himself. They had taught him more about patience and caring than he had ever thought possible. But he wasn’t really their father. At least not in a way that could have his best and brother being called uncle.   
  
And then Morgan was born.   
  
Morgan H. Stark came into the world a screaming, brilliant, beautiful girl. Tony loved her from the moment he held her. It was in that moment that he finally felt fully like a father.   
  
There was just one thing left to do.   
  
“Hey platypus,” Tony said with a smile as Rhodey walked into the hospital room. Pepper was lying in the bed behind him, a sleepy smile on her face. “Ready to meet her?”  
  
“Been waiting for this moment for years Tones,” Rhodey said, an eager grin on his face. Tony smiled and walked over to Pepper, gently picking up Morgan. He then walked over to Rhodey, watching as his best friend’s eyes lit up.   
  
“Morgan,” Tony said, looking down at the baby in his arms. “This is your Uncle Rhodey.” He gently placed Morgan in Rhodey’s arm, watching as his smile only grew.   
  
“Damn Tony,” Rhodey said, looking from Morgan to him. “Uncle Rhodey. It just has a great ring to it.” Tony smiled because he knew his oldest friend was right.  
  
Uncle Rhodey did have a great ring to it.

**Author's Note:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com


End file.
